Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Today on my Instagram feed, one of the people I follow wrote how upset she was that her followers don’t interact with her when she visits and comments. If you don’t like her work, she asked to ‘unfollow’

As an artist, I do appreciate where she is coming from. She wants to share her art with the world and spread the love to fellow artists and wants the same love in return. I can’t help to feel offended. I’m a silent admirer, she’s a great artist. I do ‘like’ her work but I’m not a commenter. I have lots of things going on right now but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the work of those who I follow. Not everyone can afford the time to make a detailed comment back. I agree a simple thank you is appreciated but on a media like Instagram it’s tough to have that as an expectation.

Don’t forget the silent admirers.

PS – oh, I’ve decided to keep follower this Instagramer, regardless of how she feels, I like her work. If she feels offended if I don’t say anything, she can block me

Awesome People

About Me

Cindy Y. Ho was born and raised on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada . During her childhood to early adulthood she enjoyed folding origami and honed her folding skills. As time past, she developed past the stage of the traditional crane to complex models such as modular models, flowers, butterflies and dragons that she enjoyed giving away as gifts. However, as she entered the post secondary stage of her educational life, her focus shifted from her hobby to studying and preparing herself for the workforce. Her origami papers and books soon collected dust.

After graduating with honours from British Columbia's Institute of Technology (BCIT) in 1999, she excelled as a Buyer and Materials Planner in the demanding industry of electronics contract manufacturing. In 2006, she and her husband were blessed with their first child. A few months into her maternity leave, she found her dusty papers and books and revived her long lost passion - origami. After reminiscing her friend's wonderment when they received an origami gift, she felt that other people would enjoy them as well. Her entrepreneurial spirit was stirred and taught herself to build a simple website and started an online store, West Coast Origami devoted to origami gifts and crafts. After returning to the workforce, Cindy continued to practice origami and experimented with new papers. She proudly showcased her work on flickr and Facebook.

In 2009, her family were blessed with their second child. During her maternity leave, Cindy upgraded her web design skills and upgraded her online store. She expanded West Coast Origami with Etsy , an online marketplace devoted to handmade products.